Borrow Meaning
/ˈbɒɹəʊ/Definition, CEFR level A2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
verbTo receive (something) from somebody temporarily, expecting to return it.
verbTo receive money from a bank or other lender under the agreement that the lender will be paid back over time.
Sentence Examples
When we borrow money, we must agree on the conditions.
May I borrow your dictionary?
You can borrow up to four books from the library.
CEFR Practice Quiz
Can I ____ your umbrella for the day since it's raining heavily?
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Can I ____ your pen for a moment to sign this important document today?.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English borwen, from Old English borgian (“to borrow, lend, pledge surety for”), from Proto-West Germanic *borgōn, from Proto-Germanic *burgōną (“to pledge, take care of”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰergʰ- (“to take care”). Cognate with Dutch borgen (“to borrow, trust”), German borgen (“to borrow, lend”), Danish borge (“to vouch”). Related to Old English beorgan (“to save, preserve”). More at bury.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Finance is seldom romantic. But the idea of peer-to-peer lending comes close. This is an industry that brings together individual savers and lenders on online platforms. Those that want to borrow are matched with those that want to lend."
— 2013 June 1, “End of the peer show”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8838, page 71:
"It is not hard for any man, who hath a Bible in his hands, to borrow good words and holy sayings in abundance; but to make them his own is a work of grace only from above."
— 1649, J[ohn] Milton, ΕΙΚΟΝΟΚΛΆΣΤΗΣ [Eikonoklástēs] […], London: […] Matthew Simmons, […], →OCLC:
"Dryden’s form is of course borrowed from the ancients"
— 1881, William Minto, Margaret Bryant, “John Dryden”, in Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition:
"Americans, for example, call newcomers to Antarctica “fingies”, which comes from FNGs – a borrowed military abbreviation that means “Fucking New Guy”."
— 2024 June 20, Eva Corlett, “Fidlets, fingies and riding a doo: study sheds light on Antarctic English slang”, in The Guardian:
"“Rosie, borrow me your look looker, I bet my lips are all. Everytime^([sic]) I eat or drink, so quick I gotta fix ’em, yet.”"
— 1951, The Grenadiers, edited by James P. Leary, Wisconsin Folklore, University of Wisconsin Press, published 1998, →ISBN, Milwaukee Talk, page 56:
Explore More A2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
Can I ____ your umbrella for the day since it's raining heavily?
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Can I ____ your pen for a moment to sign this important document today?.